Srinagar: Hours after the culmination of the Bharat Jodo Yatra, Senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Sunday took a dig at the Centre over the security situation in Jammu and Kashmir. He openly challenged Home Minister Amit Shah to walk from Jammu to Kashmir.
Addressing a press conference in Srinagar, Rahul said target killings and bomb blasts are happening in Kashmir. If everything would have been normal here, security forces personnel would not be talking to me. If law and order in the Union Territory is so good, the BJP leaders should carry out a yatra from Jammu to Kashmir. Amit Shah should walk from Jammu to Kashmir, Rahul wondered.
Rahul, who was joined by General Secretary Incharge Communication, Jairam Ramesh, Incharge J&K Rajni Patil, JKPCC president, Vikar Rasool Wani, former PCC president Ghulam Ahmad Mir, former MP Tariq Hameed Karra, PCC working president Raman Bhalla, former deputy chief minister Tara Chand and others, said the motive behind the Yatra was to spread love amid hatred being spread by BJP and RSS across the country.
Speaking about the yatra, he said that the yatra has been the "deepest and most beautiful experience" of his life. "The Yatra received a great response across the country. We saw the resilience and strength of the people of the country during this march. We also got to hear about the issues being faced by farmers, and unemployed youth in the country," the congress leader said.
Also read: Rahul Gandhi unfurls tricolour on the penultimate day of Bharat Jodo Yatra at Srinagar's Lal Chowk
He further said, "the Yatra was not Congress party's Yatra, instead of party leaders, who walked most in it. The Yatra gave an alternative vision to the people amidst existing BJP-RSS vision that is filled with hatred and violence. Now, the people have two ways with them, one is aimed to suppress people and another is full of love and affection."
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On being asked about the impact on the politics of the country, the MP from Wayanad asserted that the yatra will have an impact on Indian politics but he "cannot tell yet what exactly it will be." "Bharat Jodo Yatra was from South to North but had national effect," he said.
Speaking on the tension between India and China, he said: "Government's approach of denying that Chinese have taken our land is extremely dangerous. It'll give them more confidence to do more aggressive things. We have to deal with the Chinese firmly and tell them they are sitting on our land." He also pointed out that a delegation from Ladakh has clearly said that 2000 sq km of "our land has been taken by China. They also said that several Indian patrolling points are now under the control of China."
On being asked to clear the party's stand on the abrogation of Article 370 and 35 A, the Congress scion said, "Our stand on it is clear. I want the restoration of statehood and democratic process in Jammu and Kashmir. We believe in the step by step process. The first step of Congress is restoration of statehood and democratic process in J & K.''
"Whatever is happening in Jammu and Kashmir, is happening in other parts of the country. The BJP-RSS is targeting every institution of the country. We started the Yatra to bridge the gap with people. And we have been successful in doing the same."
On Sunday, the Yatra culminated at Srinagar after Rahul Gandhi unfurled the national flag at the historic clock tower of Lal Chowk in the heart of Srinagar. On Monday, Rahul will be addressing a mega-rally at Srinagar's Sher Kashmir stadium where leaders from Congress and like-minded opposition parties are expected to participate.
The yatra, which began from Kanyakumari on September 7 last year, reached here this morning after covering a distance of 4,080 kilometres and covering 75 districts spread over 14 states and union territories of the country.
